Research into chosen music genre - Miss Georgiou

The indie genre

The music video that my group has chosen to recreated is 'Salvation' by Gabrielle Aplin. My reason for choosing the indie genre and Gabrielle Aplin is due to the fact that I am an avid listener of indie music because my favourite types of songs are the ones that are based on real life experiences. I also like the fact that indie music is quite downbeat and relaxing, and that the music videos tell stories often provide the audience with music videos that feel more like a mini cinematic experience. Furthermore, the music video for 'Salvation' by Gabrielle Aplin is pretty simple which means that my group will be able to create a music video that is completely different but still includes elements that are conventional to the indie genre.

Birdy - Wings

The first indie music video that I have decided to analyse is 'Wings' by Birdy. The video is very conventional to the indie genre, for starters, through the use of a setting that can be easily accessed by the audience. The indie genre is often perceived as being low budget, which is partly due to the fact that the genre does not have a huge fan base, which therefore makes it harder for indie artists to make a profit from the music they produce. However, most indie artists are not in the music industry for the money, but instead aim to just share their music with as many people as they can. This could be why indie artists are often perceived as being down to earth and more relatable when compared to artists from mainstream music genres, for example, pop. This is evident in the music video because all of the audience will be able to relate to the homely setting and the idea of throwing a house party for all of your friends. In the video, Birdy comes across as being a similar age to her target audience and as wanting to show them that she enjoys doing things that people from her target audience possibly enjoy doing too, for example, hanging out with her friends. This helps the audience to view Birdy as an average person, rather than just as someone who is rich and famous. This could like in with the paradox from Star and Dyer's theory that an artist must be both ordinary and extraordinary. Birdy is ordinary in the sense that the audience can relate to her and view her as someone who is similar to themselves, but extraordinary in the sense that she is musically talented, and lives in a really big house and can afford to buy nice looking clothes. The colours of silver and gold on her costume especially imply the idea that Birdy is wealthy. All of the characters in the music video can be seen wearing clothes that are either bold in colour or black and white. The use of colours like black and white is conventional to the indie genre because it makes the audience feel as though the video is quite old and classic, as oppose to modern, which is typical of the indie genre because the genre itself does not fit into the modern day mainstream. One of the male characters in the video can be seen wearing a black and white tux and tie, which could also be used to suggest wealth and high status. Furthermore, another way in which the music video is conventional to the indie genre is through the use of close ups. This camera technique allows the artist to introduce themselves to their audience so that they will be able to associate the artist with the song next time they hear it. Also, visuals of the artist make it easier for an artist to remember a song, as opposed to just listening to the song on its own. The use of a music video helps to give a song a deeper meaning and can sometimes help the audience to understand what the lyrics actually mean, as sometimes song lyrics can be quite ambiguous. The use of a variety of camera shot can also make a music video more interesting to watch, especially in the indie genre because there is often a lot of changes in the video to show the audience both the narrative and the performance elements of the music video. The use of close ups in this music video allow the audience to see the artist mouthing the words to the song, which helps them to recognise that she is the one whose voice they can hear. It also makes it appear as though she is singing live in the video, rather than as having recorded the song before making the video.

All of the characters, including Birdy can be seen wearing old fashioned, vintage looking clothes. The use of old fashioned looking clothing is conventional to the indie genre because it helps to give each of the characters in the music video their own identity. Also indie music artists often do not fit into the mainstream because the type of clothes they were are usually unique and not from a designer brands. This helps the audience to view the artist as not being materialistic, which makes the video more realistic and relatable because the audience themselves may not be able to afford designer brands. On the other hand, the visuals of the male characters wearing black and white suits in the video is both conventional and unconventional to the indie genre. The colours are conventional in the sense that they imply that the video is quite old and classic, because modern day clothing for boys usually consists of tracksuit bottoms and sweatshirts. The indie genre is often perceived as being a vintage genre of music that does not fit into the modern day mainstream. However, the visuals of suits could imply the idea of wealth and high status, but indie artists often want to come across as being passionate about their music and keeping the music as the main focus rather than showing off how much money they have. This makes the music video less relatable for the audience because many of them may not be able to afford goods that are considered expensive.

The use of iconography and setting in the music video is also conventional to the indie genre. The majority of the video is set in the back garden of a big, old house. The use of this setting helps the artist to reach out to her target audience because it gives them the idea of a house party, and most of the audience will be at the age where they too will be going to house parties. The audience will feel as though they are similar to the artist because they both enjoy doing the same things, and the artist will be more relatable because she will be seen as someone who the audience can see themselves as being able to hang out with. This use of setting is conventional to the indie genre because most indie music videos are set in cheap locations because most indie artists will have a low budget because the genre will only appeal to a small target audience which means the artist will be less likely to make a huge profit, and therefore there will only be a limited use of green screen and special effects. Furthermore, the setting is often kept simple in order to express to the audience that the main focus of the video is the artist and the music.

People often hang out with other people who have similar styles to themselves or who they have things in common with, for example, music preferences. All of the characters in the music video can be seen together in one large group wearing similar, old fashioned clothing. The fact that they all look the same suggests that they all have similar tastes in clothes. Also, the close positioning of the characters in the video will help Birdy to express the unity that is often associate with teenagers, who will make up the majority of her target audience. Furthermore, at the beginning of the video the audience can see Birdy and another character sitting on the shoulders of two other characters, this visual creates the idea that they are at a festival or concert. This links in with the use of colour and lighting in the music video, especially at the beginning of the video when the audience are shown visuals of a dark looking corridor with flashing lights at the end of it which looks similar to that of a club setting. The target audience will be able to relate to the music video because some of them will be at an age that is old enough to go clubbing, therefore Birdy is reaching out to all of the possible people watching her music video.

In the music video, the audience do not once see Birdy smiling, she comes across as being emotional and sad. This is conventional to the indie genre because it is perceived that indie songs are often based on emotional, real life experiences and the indie itself is not typically seen as being a happy and upbeat, which is why this type of music does not fit into the mainstream of have a huge following. Furthermore, Birdy's facial expressions coincide with the meaningful lyrics and the downbeat tune of the song, which helps to make the song and video feel more personal because the audience will feel as though she is sharing an emotional experience with the audience and allowing them to get to know more about her and her past.

The first main camera shot that is used in the music video is a close up, which can be seen towards the beginning of the video. A close up is often used in a music video to introduce and promote an artist because they can show the audience a visual of the artist singing or playing a musical instrument which helps to highlight the talents that an artist has. A close up can also be used to show how an artist is feeling which helps to make the song feel more personal because it appears as though the artist is speaking directly to just one viewer rather than the thousands that are watching. A close up also allows the audience to see a clear visual of the artist which they are more likely to remember and will associate the song with next time they hear it. This technique is conventional to the indie genre because it helps the audience to focus more on the artist and the song rather than what is going on in the background, which is beneficial to an indie artist whose main aim is to share their music with their fans.
Another camera shot that is often used in the music video is a long/wide shot which can help the artist to set the scene of the music video and to introduce the narrative. In this music video, the audience can see that the setting is in the back garden of a big, old looking house. This location could be described as affordable and a place that everyone will be able relate to because everyone has a home. The audience will also be able to relate to the setting because a majority of them will be at the age where their friends will be throwing house parties, fairly similar to the one in the video and they will therefore view Birdy as being similar to them and as having similar tastes.

Editing is often used in music videos because it allows an artist to express their creativity to their audience. There is also a lot of face pace editing used throughout the music video in order to help the visuals keep up with the pace of the song which helps the song to flow and makes it more comfortable for the audience to watch. This technique can be seen toward the music video when Birdy is standing on a swing, singing the chorus of the song, the pace and volume of the song picks up the higher the swing goes. This links in with Goodwin's theory and his idea that there is a relationship between the visuals and the music of a music video. This techniques makes the audience feel as though every aspect of the video has a purpose and exactly how the artist wants it to be. Indie artists often want their music to be entirely their own, and not another product of the music industry.
Another editing style seen in the music video is the use of special effects, especially the darker colour tints of orange and brown which help to make the video appear old and worn out. This vintage style of editing helps to make the video look and feel more old fashioned, suggesting that it had been made a long time ago, rather than for the purpose of the music video. The audience will feel as though they are watching a memory, rather than a music video. This will help the audience to build a relationship with the artist because it makes the video feel more personal like Birdy has made the video for herself, rather than just for a music video and is sharing that with her fans.

The indie genre is not one of the most popular genres of music because the genre does not fit into the mainstream like, for example, the pop genre does. Indie songs are normally quite slow paced with lyrics that express a deeper meaning, while the artists are often seen wearing clothing that also does not fit into the mainstream. The target audience for the music video will be mainly girls between the ages of 14 to early twenties, as girls are often perceived as being more likely to listen to emotion songs, and they will be easier for Birdy to relate to because she is the same gender and around the same age. An audience that is too young may not fully understand the deeper meaning of the song or enjoy the music video because it is not very upbeat or modern, and does not fit into the mainstream that is becoming more and more influential nowadays. People often listen to music, for example, pop, that is constantly played on the radio or that is listened to by the large majority of people.

The artist is represented as being quirky and original, which is evident through the way she dresses and behaves in the video. Her behaviour is carefree, like the way see can be seen standing on a swing and bouncing on a trampoline, and her style is very old fashioned which may not appeal to everyone. Overall, these characteristics could help Birdy to stand out from within a music genre that is very diverse. She is represented as being her own person, rather than as someone who has had their appearance changed by the music industry in order to fit into the mainstream and appeal to a wider audience.

Another way that Goodwin's theory is used in the music video is the fact that the video is primarily performance based. Through the use of close ups of Birdy, the audience can see her looking directly into the camera which makes the song feel more personal and makes it appear as though she is only singing to the viewer who is watching the video from behind the screen. The use of performance is beneficial for the fans of Birdy who might not be able to afford to pay for tickets to an actual concert. The audience are given the chance to experience what it would be like at one of her concerts, which is aided by the variety of camera shots that are used through the video to make it appear as though the audience watching from behind the computer screen are actually part of the video. Overall, the use of performance means that the audience will not feel as though they are missing out. It also helps to make clear that the main style of the music video is performance, as opposed to it having a narrative or concept. While performance is conventional to the indie genre, there is also usually some form of narrative between the sections of performance to help make the video more interesting to watch and to give the song a deeper meaning.

Ellie Goulding - Your Song

The elements of narrative between the performance is also conventional to the indie genre because it helps to give the video more meaning by telling a story that the audience can relate to. It is also more interesting for an audience to watch a music video instead of just listening to the song because a narrative can be used to hold the audiences attention more. The use of live performance in the music video is also conventional to the indie genre because it allows the audience to see an artist doing what they love most, which helps the audience to build an emotional connection with the song because they can see how passionate the artist is about their music. The lack of special effects during the live performance can help the audience to feel as though they are at an actual concert, and it will keep the sole focus on the artist, because there are no effects to take away from what they are doing. A performance also allows an artist to promote their musical talents as they are often seeing playing musical instruments. Another convention that is used in the music video is natural lighting. The fact that the video is not set in a studio or has been filmed using a green screen is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists often like to keep their videos simple and make the sole focus the music, which is ultimately what they are trying to sell. This technique makes the video more realistic as the artist is not using special effects to change the way that the audience can see something. This makes it more likely for Goulding to be perceived as an actual human being as opposed to someone who is just rich and famous and only cares about the materialistic side of their career.

In the music video, Ellie Goulding is seen wearing very casual clothing, for example, skinny jeans, a beanie hat and wellington boots. The use of affordable clothing helps Goulding to come across as though she does not care about her appearance, which further makes the video more realistic and relatable for the audience who may not be able to afford materialistic goods that most people within the music industry are associated with. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists are often perceived as being too focused on their music to keep up with the current fashion trends.

Through the use of mise-en-scene, specifically setting and iconography, the majority of the video is set outdoors, for example, the audience can see Ellie Goulding walking through a forest, and travelling by train. These types of settings are conventional to the indie genre because indie artists often only have a low budget to spend on their music videos, therefore film in locations that are easily accessible to anyone because the genre does not have a massive following, making it harder for indie artist to make a huge profit on their music. However, a simple setting means that the location will not take away from the artist and the music, which helps to ensure that the main focus is on the artist doing what she loves. At the end of the day, Goulding is primarily trying to share her music with as many people as she can, and more views means more money.


In the music video, through the use of positioning of characters and facial expressions, the audience can see that there is an implied love story behind the lyrics. For example, in one of the scenes the audience can see Goulding and a male character standing close together, implying that they are a couple and that the song 'Your Song' was written for him. Also, the audience are also show close ups of her happy facial expressions, in particular when she is being filmed by another character in the middle of the park, or when the audience see her fooling about on the train. This use of facial expressions and positioning of characters is conventional to the indie genre as indie songs are often based on love stories because the lyrics of the songs usually sound like they have been based on real life experiences. This technique helps to make the song more personal and helps to keep the audience interested because they feel as though they are getting to know more about an artist.

The majority of the music video is set in outdoor locations, therefore the lighting is very natural, with no added spot lights or special effects, which is conventional to the indie genre because it is often associated as having a lower budget and as being more realistic. The indie genre is not one of the most popular genres of music due to the fact that it does not fit into the mainstream, therefore it does not have a following that is as big as the pop genre, for example, which means the artists will not make as much money or be able to spend a lot of money on special effects or green screens to use in their music videos. The indie genre focuses more on realism, the artists being relatable and the music rather than keeping up with the current trends. It also makes it easier for the audience to relate to the music and the artist

There are a variety of camera shots used in the 'Your Song' music video. One of the main camera shots used is handheld, which makes up the majority of the video. There is a lot of camera movement throughout the video which makes the audience feel as though someone else is filming her, which makes the video feel more personal because it suggests that the video has been filmed for personal reasons, rather than just being filmed for the purpose of the music video. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie music videos are often seen as being quite low budget, and as being a lower quality than those of the pop genre, for example, because the videos are often filmed with low quality cameras because that is all they can afford. This helps to make the video more realistic and more relatable because there are a lot of people who make videos of loved ones for memory purposes, and it is something that the audience could do if they wanted to.

Another camera shot that is used in the video is a mid-shot, which can be seen when Ellie Goulding is sitting alongside a guy who is playing the piano. The audience can see that Ellie is holding a cat, which makes the video feel more homely and personal, and gives the video more of a relaxed environment. A camera shot of the artist playing a musical instrument is conventional to the indie genre because it allows the audience to see that the artist is playing the instruments themselves. Indie artists do not want their music to be seen as a product of the music industry. They will want the audience to know that the music that they can hear is entirely down to the artist herself, therefore the sounds that the audience can hear is exactly what the artist wants them to hear, with no special effects.

The first main editing style that is used in the music video is a montage, which is what the majority of the video is made up of. The use of a montage suggests that the footage has been collected over a period of time and not just for the purpose of the music video. The footage is shown as being more personal to the artist, therefore it is being using it to tell a personal story, which helps the audience to relate the lyrics to the artist's life more. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie songs are often a lot more personal and based on real life experiences that help the audience to relate to the songs and feel more emotionally attached to the artist because they are shown as having been through similar experiences. Furthermore, the speed at which the montage is shown to the audience keeps in time with the fast pace of the song. Fast pace editing is another editing technique used in the video that is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists are often perceived as always being on the road, therefore the fast pace could be a representation of how fast pace their lives are. This could show the audience how passionate the artist is about sharing their music with their fans on a wider scale.

The majority of Ellie Goulding's target audience for this music video will be teenage girls between the ages of 13 to early twenties. It could be argued that female music listeners are associated more with preferring songs that are based on real life experience about love, or watching videos that have cheesy, romantic stories behind them. A target audience that is too young may not fully understand the deeper meaning of the song because they are not old enough to have experienced any similar situations themselves. However, it is possible for Goulding's music to reach outside of her obvious target audience because as an artist she comes across as being down to earth and relatable, which may attract a larger audience because her passion for her music is evident and the type of person she is makes people want to see her do well in the music industry.

In the music video the artist is represented as being carefree, happy and a relatable, down to earth personal that focuses her music on realism rather than special effects to make something seem better than it is. The simple and affordable clothes that she can be seen wearing suggest that Goulding does not care about fitting into the mainstream, nor does she want to be viewed as materialistic, therefore the audience may appreciate her passion for what she does and the fact that she is not all about making money. She is also represented as being emotional because the lyrics come across as being based on a real life experience and that they are directed to someone in particular, which suggests that the song is personal to Goulding and that she is allowing her audience to get to know more about her private life.

In the music video, there is a mixture of both performance and narrative styles. The performance elements of the video can be seen through the use of close ups and visuals of the artist. For example, the audience are shown shots of Ellie Goulding playing the piano, the guitar and singing in the studio. The use of performance allows the audience to see how passionate the artist is about their music, and shows them that all of the sounds and background sounds that they can hear have been created by the artist themselves. The use of performance allows Goulding to become the main focus of the video and helps her to promote herself as a multi-talented artist. The music industry is very competitive, therefore by showing her audience that she can also play the piano and guitar will help Goulding to stand out from all of the other indie artists. The audience can also see sections of narrative between the performance. The elements of narrative between the performance is also conventional to the indie genre because it helps to give the video more meaning and helps an artist to hold their audiences attention because  the variety of shots used makes it more interesting to watch. The narrative helps the audience to relate to the lyrics of the song because they are often used to tell a story, for example, a story about love and relationships which the audience will be able to relate to because they may have been through a similar experience themselves. The use of visuals alongside the lyrics also means that there is little room left for the audience to use their imagination because the artist has explained the lyrics through the use of visuals, which is unlike what happens when the audience can only hear the song.

The first way that Goodwin's theory is used in the music video is the fact that the video is primarily performance based. Through the use of close ups of Birdy, the audience can see her looking directly into the camera which makes the song feel more personal and makes it appear as though she is only singing to the viewer who is watching the video from behind the screen. The use of performance is beneficial for the fans of Birdy who might not be able to afford to pay for tickets to an actual concert. The audience are given the chance to experience what it would be like at one of her concerts, which is aided by the variety of camera shots that are used through the video to make it appear as though the audience watching from behind the computer screen are actually part of the video. Overall, the use of performance means that the audience will not feel as though they are missing out. It also helps to make clear that the main style of the music video is performance, as opposed to it having a narrative or concept. While performance is conventional to the indie genre, there is also usually some form of narrative between the sections of performance to help make the video more interesting to watch and to give the song a deeper meaning.
Another element of Goodwin's theory that is used in the music video visuals of the artist. Similar to performance, the visuals help to promote and introduce an artist to their audience, which is especially necessary for people who are listening to an artists song for the first time, as they may not be aware of what the artist looks like. Furthermore, an audience is more likely to remember what they see, rather than what they hear, therefore visuals help an artist to make their song more memorable and is more likely to cause a word of mouth promotion effect if the audience like the video. Visuals of the artist also help to make the song feel more personal because the audience feel as though the artist is singing about themselves, rather than another character from within the video.
In conclusion, the indie genre could be perceived as being the most realistic and relatable genre of music because indie artists are less about being materialistic and fitting into the mainstream, and more about sharing their music and promoting themselves as an individual within the music industry. I like that the indie genre is different to most of the modern day music genres and that artists can be creative with their music videos and are open to using most locations and to wearing whatever they want to. I have learnt that the best way to keep an audience interested is to create a music video that ties in with the lyrics to a song, this helps to tell the audience a story and to help them understand the lyrics more.